Family portrait: (Picture: Penny Rohleder)

It's nice when your child draws a picture of you.

Even if your little human isn't a talented artist, it's pretty heart warming.

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But what if your child draws a picture of you which is cute, hilarious and accidentally meaningful?

That's exactly what Penny Rohleder's son Julian managed to do.

Julian drew a picture of his mum (so far, so standard) but in the picture, she's having her period.

Like all modern parents whose child has done something legitimately funny, Penny shared the picture on Facebook.

Underneath the picture, Penny wrote:

'Julian drew a family portrait (forgot Mayanna and Arlyn) but I said to him "what's that red thing on me?" He said "that's your period".'

Penny told Metro.co.uk:

'When I first saw the drawing and realised that it included my period, I was in hysterics. It was such an innocent, honest thing for a young child to come out with.'

However, not all of the reaction to the picture has been quite so full of delight. Many online commentators claimed that this was too private to be shared online, and that Penny should have kept it to herself.  We asked her what she made of this she told us:

'I shared it because it was funny, but I was also proud that my 5 year old knows what a period is, when some fully grown men do not. It's such a taboo subject for many adults, especially men. Women too, are embarrassed about their bodies and I have absolutely no idea why.'

Penny's gorgeous kids. (Picture: Penny Rohleder)

The negative reaction to the picture sheds light on a very real truth. Many adults feel uncomfortable about the idea of a period, and are not comfortable with a child, especially a boy, seeing his mum's periods as a normal part of life.

Surely it's a great thing that Penny's son is going to grow up comfortable with the concept of menstruation?

I asked Penny what she made of those people who were expressing distaste for the fact that her son is aware of the fact that she has periods. She told em:

'If that's the case, then we should be giving women a week off work every month, because I hate to break it to some of these people, but women bleed every month. That woman sitting next to you on the train? She's having a period this month.

'She might even have it now. It's not an "unsafe" topic, it's a normal bodily function that women shouldn't be made to feel embarrassed about. In saying that, I'm not one of the women who openly shout "I HAVE MY PERIOD" every month, but when a child knows that their mother gets her period occasionally, that's not a cause for uproar or concern that I'm too open with my kids.'

Considering that sex education often separates girls and boys and only teaches them about the biology of their own body, I asked Penny whether she feels that it's important that her son is aware of human bodily functions. Penny says:

'I think awareness is a positive thing. In the past, I've had boyfriends that had no idea what a period was, or what it meant for a woman to get it. If my son can be calm and sensible about it, which he obviously is, then it's a great thing.'

Another aspect of Penny's parenting that came under fire was the fact that her son had been in the same room as her when she has changed her pad or tampon, something which Penny feels is unfair.

'Many people have commented that it's not a normal thing for me to change my pad or tampon in front of my kids, but when you're on blood thinners and get your period, it can be horrific and very messy and urgent.

'I can't help that. We have one toilet in our house, and what else was I supposed to do, bleed everywhere? It's a topic I guess that came up with my kids out of necessity I guess.'

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